The Kiss of Hunger
by TheHunter'sRose
Summary: Alice Young is a troubled young British woman finding herself in a small town in Virginia, Mystic Falls. Homeless and nowhere to go she finds herself drawn to two men in particular. Damon Salvatore & Klaus. Will all end fair in love & war?
1. Chapter 1

The hangover she felt so strongly was evident in her eyes. As she dropped two dissolvable Panadol tablets into a small cup of water she fingered her right temple with her index finger and groaned, loudly. It was her own fault really. No one had forced the _free _bottle of whiskey into her hand. No one had forced her to down all of those shots in a row but she was regretting it now. As she always did.

The bitter taste of stale alcohol and the smell of smoke was enough to turn her stomach. As the tablets fizzed and dissolved at the bottom of her glass she dry heaved once more into the sink in front of her. A clammy sweat had broken out on her forehead and she had to fight off the shakes but she couldn't help it as her teeth chattered and clinked together.

_My name is Alice Young, _she thought, as she always did after a heavy night out, _and I am a complete mess._ This statement, although utterly vague and seemingly pointless, might as well have been permanently burned into her flesh. Alice eyed the glass in front of her warily but took the glass in both hands and downed the contents in one gulp.

As she threw herself onto the worn down couch that had springs digging into her sides she tried her best not to wake the other squatters. The shabby apartment was tiny in comparison to her home back in London but she reminded herself, for the umpteenth time, that this wasn't London.

This was America. The land where dreams come true.

As she eyed the junkies and drug dealers that were passed out around her she found that term almost laughable. Alice knew with an undeniable burning passion that she had to find a way out. This life had engulfed her and she knew she was slowly drowning.

As she forced herself up, brushed her teeth and ran a hand through her hair, she picked pockets and gathered any money that she could find. She pocketed two hundred dollars and eyed the vial of cocaine that was lying carelessly on it's side.

_They won't miss it, _she concluded and stuffed it into the side of her black bra. Alice figured she could sell it on the way to the next town anyway, although she was no stranger to _that _life. She vaguely remembered snorting lines last night and as she stuffed stray clothes into her brown leather messenger bag she found a small plastic bag full of Ecstasy and three tabs of Acid.

"Good god, woman," She whispered to herself in shock. "Sort yourself out, would you."

She grabbed anything she could and exited the dingy apartment block with her head held high with no intention of ever coming back.

Alice made it to the highway on foot. South Carolina hadn't been the most memorable city she had encountered but it was by far the most helpful. As she held her bag to her body and felt the chill through her black blazer she held her thumb out in front of her and waited for a car to pick her up. She didn't have the luxury of splashing out on a taxi or a flight. Alice was a common hitchhiker but she didn't mind. It got her from point A to B which was all that really mattered.

Cars blazed past her in a blur, flashing headlights and beeping their horn. Alice simply replied with a waving middle-finger. She had no time for people's shit. A few minutes passed until a silver Volkswagen Golf pulled up beside her. Inside was a late twenty-something year old man, a cigarette lit in his mouth, brown hair that fell in waves against his forehead.

"Where you headed?" He asked, his arm lounging against the steering wheel. Alice smiled, then.

"Wherever you're prepared to take me."

The man laughed and motioned for her to hop in and so she did. A few moments of silence passed between the two before the man cleared his throat.

"I'm Peter,"

"Alice," she replied with a small smile, noticing the collection of CDS that were in a pile at her feet. She made disgusted sounds while flicking through the pile until she found some music that she could actually bear. Which wasn't anything fantastic, mind you.

"Does my music taste not appease to your standards, Alice?" Peter asked, mockingly. She couldn't help but laugh. Not because Peter was funny or remarkable in any way but because she could see straight through his flirtation tactics. Alice was intuitive like that and she was proud of the skills she had obtained over the years.

"If I'm honest, Peter… your music taste is pretty shit." Alice was laughing internally because Peter genuinely looked offended but as she smiled in his direction he quickly let it slide. Alice had that affect on people although most of the time she was completely oblivious to her talents.

"Aren't you a cheeky British chick." Peter teased as he ran a hand through his hair. He kept a steady pace along the highway and Alice felt her eyes drooping. It had taken her most of the afternoon to walk to the highway and even then all her body was running on was Panadol and traces of cocaine.

She hadn't even asked Peter if it was alright to sleep but it was too late for whilst Peter was in the middle of telling Alice a joke she began to snore softly.

* * *

><p>Alice woke up with a jolt as the door slammed shut. It took a moment for her to gather her bearings before she realized where she was. They were at a Petrol Station and Peter was in the middle of filling up the tank with gas. Sleepily, Alice gazed around and rubbed at her eyes. It was true she had no idea where she was, who she was with or where she was going but this was an everyday occurrence with Alice. She spent most of her time in strange apartments, alien clubs and underground raves. The most comfortable place Alice had slept in in over a year was in an abandoned doorway. This was one of the first nights in a long while that Alice had been perfectly sober. Warning bells probably should have been going off in her head at this point but Alice lived for the <em>now. <em>Not for the past or the future. She lived for herself and by her own rules.

Peter came back with a six-pack of beer and a packet of Pretzels. Alice's eyes lit up at the sight. She realized she hadn't eaten a proper meal in- her face scrunched up in thought- God, she couldn't even remember.

"I thought you might be hungry." Peter offered her a can of beer and the bag of Pretzels. Alice took a handful and handed the bag back to him.

"Thank you so much," She said, feeling the warmth of the beer travel down her throat.

"Not a problem." Peter replied with a wink and after a few minutes of silence, whilst Alice finished her measly handful of Pretzels, she turned to Peter.

"Where are we?"

The sky was jet black and she could barely see ten feet in front of her. They simply followed a long and empty road.

"We're in Virginia." He commented and pointed to the sign ahead of us.

_Welcome to Mystic Falls!_

_Mystic Falls? Wow, _Alice thought. _The founders must have been tripping balls when they named this place. _

Alice folded her arms against her chest, laying her head back, when she felt the vial of cocaine against her skin. Her eyes widened. She had forgotten to sell it. Alice glanced at Peter from the corner of her eye. He didn't look like he did drugs and yet, neither did Alice. She had quickly discovered to never judge a book by it's cover in America.

"Peter?" Alice asked.

"Hmm?"

"You like to party, right?"

Alice realized how this might have sounded and tried to recover as Peter pulled over to the side of the road.

"College life is just one big party." He shrugged his shoulders and eyed her impishly. "Why?"

Alice dug her hand into her bra and pulled out the vial of cocaine.

"You want to buy this?"

It took a few moments before the realization of what she possessed dawned on him and his eyes widened before a smile played out on his face.

"You want to party with me?" He grasped the vial of cocaine in his hand, leaning towards her in the process. Alice didn't recoil but had to admit that this man was repugnant. She gulped back her nausea and pulled her hand and the vial of cocaine away from Peter.

"Two-hundred. For the vial,"

Alice was an experienced negotiator. She had been dealing and buying for both herself and third parties for the past two years. Peter scoffed but remained mere inches from Alice although she promised herself that she wouldn't back down.

"I could get more for less up at Duke,"

A sarcastic laugh escaped Alice's lips. Did he think she was an idiot?

"No, honey," She lifted a hand up and boldly stroked Peter's face. "You can't." He knew from the get-go that she was mocking him. And that didn't sit well.

Peter grabbed Alice's hand but she didn't scream. Alice learned from a very young age that screaming got you nowhere. Instead, she clawed at Peter's face but he had grabbed the other hand in the process. The man leaned up against Alice until her body weight collapsed underneath his. During the struggle Alice noticed the two top buttons of her black shirt had come undone. Peter noticed this as quickly as she did and before Alice could even comprehend it the man who had so kindly offered her a lift was pulling at her shirt, ripping off buttons in the process.

Now, Alice screamed. She screamed until her throat was raw.

"Shut the fuck up!" Peter barked but she did not listen. How could she? Alice stopped screaming. Instead she closed her eyes as tight as she could and bit her nails into the skin of her palm. She felt his hands, slithering down her bare stomach and to the crotch of her jeans. Her whole body tensed and she heard Peter's growl of a chuckle. When Alice opened her eyes again Peter's hand gripped the golden vile and he poured a messy line along his hand and held it out to her. She wasn't prepared for this and would give anything to escape reality. So she took it.

"Good girl," She heard him murmur. Alice began to collect herself before the drugs were to kick in. She knew she would never be in her right mind to get herself out of this predicament. Alice knew she had to act fast. She waited until Peter began to fiddle with his belt buckle before she dived for her messenger bag. Peter's hands were already gripping her hair tightly as she screamed and flailed her hands about to grasp the metal knife she kept on her at all times. For these kinds of situations. She felt the blade dig into the skin of her hand as she grasped it and whipped it out in front of her. The knife was beautifully carved with silver insignias of roses at the base. Her breathing was already becoming elevated and sweat began to break out all over her body. The rush went straight to Alice's head and burned more than adrenaline ever could. She grinned then, a manic expression. Peter held up his hands and backed away slowly.

"If I ever see you again I am going to cut off your balls and wear them as earrings. You got that?" Alice screamed, her words falling into a jumble as she grabbed her bag and fell out of the car backwards and onto her rear. The car sped off before Alice had fully fallen out. Her mind and body was far too sensitive for the fall and she felt everything.

Gravel and stones bit into her hands and elbows and as she tried to stand up, wobbling on all fours, she realized her black shirt had been ripped open and her jeans were unzipped. She didn't like the fact that her lacy underwear had been on display. Barely able to keep her stance, Alice rummaged through her bag until she pulled out her worn _Nirvana _t-shirt and pulled out the black blazer she had been wearing earlier. She changed in the middle of the empty road and once she was satisfied, although not completely coherent, she made her way to the town of Mystic Falls.

* * *

><p>The clock tower, that was situated in the middle of Mystic Falls Square, chimed midnight and Alice began to sob. It was times like these that she wished she had a home. A warm bed to sleep in and a family to kiss her goodnight. This was a luxury Alice hadn't been accustomed to for many years. Her parents had been brutally murdered in their beds as she slept only a few feet away from them. Alice had been eleven then and had been circulating foster homes until the age of seventeen. That's when she had decided enough was enough. That was the moment Alice had packed what little belongings she possessed and made her way to America.<p>

She got mixed up with the wrong kind of people: prostitutes, drug dealers and junkies. She did whatever she could to make money although she vowed to herself she would _never _sell her body like so many of the young girls she had encountered. Alice knew that was not the life she wanted.

She collapsed onto a wooden bench and folded her arms around herself. She began to shake violently and her breathing elevated until she was hyperventilating. The cocaine was driving her insane. The shakes were what Alice looked forward to the least. As her teeth began to chatter she felt the unbearable dizziness overwhelm her once more. It wouldn't be the first time she passed out from taking coke but she vowed it would be her last.

Alice bit her lip, hard. She didn't want to faint here, so out in the open. She would be sure to attract unwanted attention. Alice gazed around her and came to terms with her surroundings. She needed sugar and water. She remembered living off sugar and water for the better part of two weeks. It wasn't a pleasant memory.

As Alice stumbled across the Square clutching her bag to her chest she spotted an establishment with the title _Mystic Grill _hanging at the front in neon green lights. Alice couldn't help but scoff. Nothing in Mystic Falls seemed very mystic at all but she stopped complaining and made her way over to the successful bar and restaurant.

The crowd inside the establishment was larger than she expected. Alice hated being in crowds. Especially when she wasn't _all _there.

Being off your head on cocaine and cramped into a tight bar wasn't something that could go well for Alice, or anyone for that matter. She pushed herself up on a stool at the bar and mumbled an order of a glass of water and three packets of sugar. The total came to three dollars.

As the glass was pushed in front of her Alice didn't waste any time. She had never felt so thirsty until that very moment in time. She ripped at the sachets of sugar and poured them into the crystal clear water. Alice didn't even bother to stir it before she began gulping it back. As quickly as it had been put in front of her it was gone but she couldn't afford _another _glass. Three dollars was a lot when you didn't have a constant flow of a steady income. Alice never knew when she'd have more money again. Every cent was precious.

"Is that a weird new diet you chicks are on?"

Alice jumped, startled. She usually reminded people of a little doe. Especially when she was as vulnerable as she was now. Huge, wide eyes that stared at you in wonder. But Alice wasn't innocent. The innocence she had once possessed had been ripped from her a long time ago. She glanced to the side and came face to face with a young man with dark eyes and a dark mop of wavy hair. He wore a tight black leather jacket and was nursing, from what Alice could smell off his breath, Bourbon. Neat, by the looks of it. He wasn't looking at her now. He was staring down at his hands that were cupped around his glass. In one swift motion he downed the Bourbon and motioned for the bartender for another. He noticed Alice again and raised his brow.

"You look like hell. Rough party?" He commented and motioned for the bartender to pour Alice a drink. She didn't decline. It wasn't everyday Alice got to drink _Bourbon,_ for free.

"You have no idea," Alice shook her head and grumbled into her glass before she knocked it back and swallowed it in one gulp. The man was staring at her again, curiosity obvious in his dark eyes. Alice didn't feel cold anymore but her hands were visibly shaking so she clasped them to her lap. The man noticed this, smiled sadly, and held his hand out for her to take.

"Damon Salvatore," He stated, suavely. Alice simply stared at his hand. She could feel the tremors running through her cut fingers.

"Alice," She replied, clenching her hands into fists by her sides. Alice never gave out her second name. And when she had to, she quickly made one up. Technically, she was still a missing person back in London even though two years had passed she felt like she would always be on the run. As the bartender averted his gaze Alice's sticky fingers returned. She popped the lid back onto the half full bottle of Bourbon and dipped into her bag. She hadn't cared Damon Salvatore was staring right at her. He raised his brow when she glanced at him again. Alice noticed he did this an awful lot. Was she a surprising character? She had never though of herself so.

"What's your deal? Kleptomaniac?" Damon smiled at Alice but she was untouched by the gesture. She wasn't ready to trust the men of Mystic Falls quite just yet. She eyed him, warily.

"It keeps me warm. I need to be warm," Without waiting for a response Alice pushed out her stool and meandered her way through the crowd. She didn't breath until she was out in open air. The only thing she had left to think about was where she going to sleep. In a mound of bushes if she had to.

* * *

><p>She found herself on the bench again, gazing up at the clock tower. She was counting down the seconds to sunrise while holding the stolen bottle of Bourbon, that was almost empty, in her frail hands. It had successfully done it's job. Alice couldn't have felt the cold even if she were naked although she might as well have been. Her dark denim jeans were worn and felt like a wisp of silk against her numb legs. She wondered then what would she look like to passer-bys, although she thought it unlikely for residents to be out and about this early in the morning. It was barely past five.<p>

Alice was small in stature, as she always had been, with cropped white blond hair that fell in layers to the nape of her neck. Her fringe, full and heavy fell in a blunt line that complimented her elfin features and bright eyes. Alice pulled out her trilby hat that she had decorated with a white ribbon and placed it on her head. This hat had been her dads. The only keepsake she could bare to keep with her that reminded her of her parents. Memories leaded to pain, that's all Alice could comprehend. That's why she had begun to dabble with drugs. They helped her forget and numbed her of all feeling. She couldn't feel the tears running down her face but tasted them as they found their way into her mouth. She pawed at her eyes with numb hands and wiped the remaining tears away.

A sliver of pink began to submerge over the horizon's edge and Alice gripped herself.

"Out to watch the sunset?"

Alice couldn't have jumped even if she wanted to. She was far too drunk for antics such as that. Instead she ignored whoever had sat beside her on the bench. She figured if she died right this second it wouldn't matter. No one would care, or cry. Alice would simply cease to exist.

Keeping her eyes on the horizon her hand dived into her bag. She hadn't noticed that she had began to grumble, incoherently, to herself. She grasped an E tablet between her index and forefinger and popped it on her tongue. She easily could have dry-swallowed the small tablet but it was an excuse to finish off the bottle of Bourbon. Alice threw it over her shoulder and it landed in a bed of roses. She heard him chuckle and she finally glanced over to the man who had sat beside her.

Tight blond curls, blue eyes and a deadpan expression met her blurring eyes. He didn't seem all that interesting, Alice thought to herself.

"In all my existence a sunrise still manages to take my breath away." The man had spoken again and Alice smiled as his English accent met her ears. She was slipping away again, though. She could feel the happiness playing tug-of-war inside of her very being. With wide eyes and the serenest smile the man had ever seen Alice laughed.

"Another lost soul," Alice began, looking up towards the sky and witnessing the sunrise as if it were her first time. "Oh, it's absolutely beautiful!"

Exhaustion had completely escaped her as she bounded up and down on her feet. Really, she had absolutely no clue what she was saying. All she knew was that words, beautiful words of all manners, came tumbling out of her mouth.

"I would very much like it for someone to take me away… far away." She pointed to the sky that was splattered with shades of light pink to bright orange. The ecstasy was playing a part in her maddening exuberance but Alice, as per usual, wasn't all there. She could have been sitting here talking to a crow and she wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

The man was staring at her with a confused, astonished gaze. Alice barely noticed. She sat back down and their shoulders touched, if only for a second.

"What is your name, love?"

Alice was gazing off into the distance, lost in a magnificent world where everything was stunning. She had completely forgotten of the English man who had been keeping her company.

"Alice," She replied, wistfully, her head falling to one side on the mans shoulder.

"Alice." The man said, as if tasting her name on his tongue. She felt his index finger tug at her chin to look at him and when she did she saw the deep yellow eyes that were framed with light eyelashes and protruding veins that were dark purple in colour. Alice laughed. Under normal circumstances she probably would have felt fear but these eyes were strange yet familiar.

"Vampire," She tasted the word she hadn't spoken in months. It wasn't a secret. Alice knew of their existence. More than that, Alice had been _fed _on all of three times in her life. When days were bad and Alice was starving she knew a drug dealer who specialized in _Vampire Feeding Parties_. Looking back on it, Alice felt sick to her stomach. Humans who were involved were paid a handsome sum of money and Alice could feed herself for another month. The vampire looked almost taken aback but he quickly recovered as Alice let her head fall to his shoulder again.

"Not quite," she heard him mutter and curse under his breath. Alice gasped theatrically and tapped him on the nose. The man snapped at her fingers and Alice giggled. This man reminded her of a distrustful, rabid dog.

"Oh, bite me vampire." Alice meant it as a retort. A figure of speech. It wasn't until the words left her lips that she realized just how _wrong _that sounded. An invitation, if anything. The man smiled, a wicked grin that transformed his face. His fangs, long and sharp, shone in the new morning light.

"Don't mind if I do, _Alice_,"

She didn't scream. Mostly because she didn't have time to. Instead she gripped onto the man's shoulders and held herself there. She was so exhausted she was afraid she might fall. Alice's brain was too buzzed to register pain and a weak laugh escaped her cracked, heart shaped lips as the man began to gnaw at her neck and drain the life essence our of her body.


	2. Chapter 2

Klaus didn't quite understand his actions but he knew he could never admit that to anyone. Uncertainty wasn't a trait he quite liked to possess. Still, in the incandescent light he stared at the frail bloody mess of a girl he had left on the ground. He hadn't killed her and that was an alien thing for him to do. He didn't understand why he stopped feeding but his actions shocked him as much as this creature did. He was amused by her, most definitely, and perplexed at the fact that she wasn't scared of him and how boldly she had acted.

_She doesn't know who you are, Nick, _he told himself sternly but on the other hand she knew what he was. Or was half right, at least. He began to pace, wiping her sweet-smelling blood off of his lips. It was growing ever later and Klaus knew he couldn't leave her, barely alive and bloody in the middle of Mystic Falls Square. Only a fool would do such a thing. And Klaus was no fool. In one swift motion he scooped the girl up in his arms. He noticed her heart beat was slowing down rapidly and he smiled in satisfaction.

He would leave her, confused and defenceless, deep within the boundaries of the woods and if she survived he would hunt her again tonight. It was no secret Klaus loved to play with his food. Especially with such an exquisite creature such as she.

As he sped towards the hills he began to notice her breathing becoming faintly stronger. Her heart beat had become erratic as it pounded, irregularly, against her chest. Klaus could feel it reverberating throughout her entire being.

_She's a strong one, _he noted and felt faintly impressed with the human girl he held in his arms. He would take delight in hunting her tonight.

* * *

><p><em><span>Pain.<span>_ That's the first thing Alice could register as she opened her eyes. An agonizing pain that shot up her neck and down her sides. Her temples pounded against her skull and she could barely string a thought together let alone even attempt to stand up. Alice tried to remember, tried to wrack her brains to formulate the events that took place before she ended up here but to no avail. She pushed herself up off her stomach and noticed that she was lying somewhere within the woods, her face buried in muck.

The sky had grown dim and Alice knew it was nearing nightfall. As she dragged herself a metre or so to the right she laid her back against a fallen log. She gazed at her hands that were covered in blood and began to panic. Cautiously, Alice's hand travelled up to the agonizing pain in her neck and as soon as she touched the gaping wound she gasped and groaned in pain. Her throat was on fire and every time she inhaled flames so intense began to build up in her chest. Alice felt like she might explode if she were given half the chance. Her face and clothes were covered in muck and she barely looked like herself. Her skin had turned a pasty white from loss of blood and nausea had slithered its way back into her stomach. Alice felt like she might throw up and she prepared herself for death. There was no way she could find a way out of this. If loss of blood didn't finish her off surely septicaemia would. Every bone in Alice's body ached and she was most certain she had cracked a rib. As she pulled up her shirt she could see dark bruising already covering the better half of her tiny frame.

_What did I manage to get myself into this time? _She thought desperately, breathing in deeply and wincing every time she did so.

Her lips were badly cracked and she was absolutely positive that her wrist may have been sprained or maybe even broken itself. Alice was in so much pain she could barely pinpoint which injury was which. All she knew for certain was that she felt like one, huge, pulsating wound. Gathering as much courage as her body would allow Alice gripped herself and managed to push herself up into a crouched stance. It was better than nothing, she thought fretfully.

Alice tried to swallow but her mouth was so dry her tongue and throat felt like sandpaper. Mild symptoms of dehydration had already set in. As she gripped one arm around herself Alice began walking, or rather limping, very unsteadily towards the trees. She had decided she wasn't just going to sit back and die. Alice was going to fight to survive as she always did in dangerous situations. She cursed herself for not having her knife on her as she limped her way into the coverage of the trees. She minded the turned up roots and tried her hardest not to lose her footing. She was most definitely injured enough as it was and certainly didn't need to add any more to the list. A few minutes later Alice was plunged into darkness. The sun had set much quicker than she ever anticipated and her footing soon became clumsy. The pain in her neck had become unbearable and as she stumbled over precarious ground Alice held her stomach and emptied its contents onto the ground. She felt so dizzy and she began shaking with the pain. Alice just wanted it all to end. All the pain had manipulated her train of thought and all she could think about was her inevitable end.

If only she had her knife she could end the pain herself. Alice collapsed onto the ground and managed to slam her head against the trunk of a tree on her way down. She felt warm blood gather in her oesophagus and her eyes began to water. Drowning in her own blood.

_Huh_, Alice thought whimsically, _I never imagined I'd go out like this. _

Alice made an unpleasant gargling sound before she involuntarily swallowed the pool of blood that had gathered at the back of her throat. It seemed it wasn't her time yet. As rolled onto her stomach and began trying her best to crawl along the ground. She dug her nails into the muck for support even though it sent shooting pains through her body every time she budged an inch.

An agonized cry was wrenched from Alice's body as she felt a foot slowly press down on the small of her back. She gagged on the air and muck around her. It was physically impossible for Alice to glance her tormentors way but as he spoke it sparked a flood of memories that, if Alice had been standing, would have knocked her off her feet.

_Tight blond curls and blue eyes. _

Alice remembered everything. The fact that he was a vampire burned before her eyes. He was toying with her, that much she knew for certain.

"I'm surprised you got this far, Alice. I was betting you'd still be unconscious."

Alice felt him manoeuvre her so she was lying on her back so she could see the _two _tormentors before her. She could barely speak but she daringly stared into the eyes of the man and the woman who were standing, proud and tall, in front of her. The woman was beautifully slender, her long blonde hair falling in luscious waves to her shoulders.

"_Oh, Nick!" _She gushed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. _"Can we play with her?" _

Alice felt positively sick to her stomach. The two vampires wanted to literally play with their food. Alice gave a sarcastic chuckle and blood spluttered out of her mouth as she did so.

"Watch it, Blondie," Alice whispered, vehemently. "I'm chewy and hard to digest."

The man let a bark of a chuckle escape and watched as the woman's eyes narrowed with disdain. She approached Alice and bent down in a predatory crouch.

"Oh, I'm sure I can manage."

The woman's face changed within an instant. The veins around her eyes protruded with blood lust and her fangs appeared in a flash of white. She threw her head back and as she did so Alice prepared herself for the agonizing pain to strike her once more. The woman bent her head down in the crook of Alice's neck and sank her fangs into the already gaping wound the man had made the night previously. Alice, too weak to protest or move, began sobbing and yelping in pain.

"That's _enough _Rebekah." The man ordered and Alice felt the woman's fangs being yanked from her flesh. She could feel her blood spurting from the pulsating wound and Alice hoped she would pass out. She couldn't bear to move because every time she breathed in she welcomed death to consume her body. Hot, abusive tears welled up in her eyes as the agony licked at her raw skin. She hated the fact that she was their plaything and prayed with such an intense passion that they would pay for their sins at the end of their existence.

"We are going to hunt her." Alice heard his voice from far away, as if she were in a dream, but as she opened her eyes the man was standing only a few feet from her, where he had always been. She could see his lips moving but no sound met her ears. The only thing that Alice could hear was her rapidly slowing heartbeat. She hoped this was the last hurdle and that she would die in peace.

"She can barely move as it is! Oh, Nick, I want to taste her again. Please let me taste her again. Her blood is so sweet."

Even in her state Alice could hear the whine in the woman's voice. Her breathing had become irregular once more and Alice was certain she had a collapsed lung. She began gasping, dry heaving and convulsing on the ground. It seemed she finally had the vampires' undivided attention.

"Heal her!" The girl, Rebekah, Alice recalled groggily, yelped at her brother. Alice's eyes began rolling to the back of her head when she felt something being pressed into her mouth. Warm blood began flooding her mouth and Alice fought against it. She tried to gag but she felt fingers pinch her nose closed. Now she had no choice as she swallowed the blood that was going to heal her wounds but Alice knew it was for their benefit more than hers. They wanted to _hunt _her and for them to hunt her Alice needed to be able to run. Alice wanted to cry. Not because she was scared or afraid of dying. Alice wanted to cry because she was going to experience death twice.

She felt the soothing warmth spread throughout her limbs and she began to flex her fingers and her toes. His wrist was pulled from her mouth and she could finally breath again. Alice's hand flew to her neck and a desperate sob was wrenched from her mouth. She was completely healed, if not a little dizzy. The man pulled Alice up to her feet and she staggered back as the two vampires surveyed her with excited, feral eyes.

"I hope you choke on my blood you fucking creeps!" Alice yelled, throwing her hands up in the air and crossing them on the crown of her head. "I hope I seriously fuck up your digestive system! I hope my blood gives you acid reflux!" She began pacing and the two vampires smiled impishly in her direction. They were both amused by her cheek and figured hunting her would be the most fun they'd have in ages.

Klaus chuckled as Alice glanced at him with wide, unforgiving eyes. He motioned to the woods behind her.

"Run along. We'll give you a five minute head start." He grinned, maliciously towards Alice and felt his sister envelope his hand in hers.

Alice took his word for it and didn't waste anytime. She knew it was a long shot but if she could make it far enough into the woods she hoped someone would be able to hear her scream. She felt the warm buzz of his blood pumping through her veins and ran faster than she ever had before.

"Help!" Alice tried her luck and began to scream even though she was certain that would give her two tormentors immense satisfaction. She screamed until her throat was raw once more. Alice, as she ran through the trees and leapt over precarious points of the ground, began to see a stray light up ahead. She screamed again but was grabbed from behind and flung to the side, hitting her back against the tree and being brutally winded in the process. Alice couldn't scream anymore but she stumbled to her feet as blood began to pour from her head. She started to run again and a minute later she ran straight into her attackers arms. She fought against him and began punching in mid air. Alice didn't care if she looked like a mad woman. All she was concerned with was surviving. The man grasped her arms in his and held them firmly in place. Alice finally opened her eyes and really _saw _for the first time. The man in front of her wasn't one of her tormentors and a wave of relief crashed down over her. Alice's emotions had become unbearable and she collapsed into the man's arms as if she had just become paralysed.

"Please help me!" Alice sobbed, a new wave of tears spilling over her eyes. The man held her as her body convulsed against his.

"Oh Stefan, care to join in on the hunt?"

Alice heard his voice and gripped on tighter to the man named Stefan. She didn't dare look behind her. Alice was too ashamed to admit it but she was afraid.

"What do you think you're doing?" Stefan asked, his voice detached and eerily calm. Not once did his grip loosen around Alice's middle and she was thankful. She heard the girl speak first.

"Having dinner. What does it _look _like we're doing?" Rebekah made a distinguishably irritated sound and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms against her chest and pouting like a spoilt child. Stefan knew she was use to getting what she wanted but hadn't planned on fulfilling her wishes today.

"I'm taking this girl home and you two are going to find someone else to torment and play with."

Alice was in the middle of sobbing and counting her lucky stars when he spoke, the vampire she had grown to fear so much. It was an alien feeling for her and she admitted that she did not like it one bit.

"This one _has _no home. She's a drifter, a drug addict. A prostitute no doubt. No one's going to miss her and even if she wasn't all of the above what makes you think I give a rats arse?"

She began to shake and released Stefan from her death-grip. Alice turned around and faced the two vampires before her.

"You're right. I have _no _home. I _do _take drugs. No one will miss me but I am _not _and never will be a prostitute. Hasn't anyone ever told you not to judge a book by it's cover?" Alice was gaining confidence and she strode towards him until she was mere inches from his body.

"You're cruel and pathetic and I _know _I don't deserve the death sentence you've handed me. I have done _nothing _to offend you except exist. And here you are _playing _with me. Toying with me, even. I just hope for your sake you _don't _kill me," Alice smirked then as his bored expression turned into that of a perplexed one.

"And why is that?" His voice was strained and Alice could tell he was probably seconds away from snapping her neck.

"Because if you do I'll begin to transition and you do not want a new-born vampire annoying you for the rest of eternity." Alice was bullshitting through her arse. She knew she was no match for this man, vampire or not, but she just couldn't stop herself.

"You're lucky you've impressed me tonight, Alice." He began, folding his arms behind his back and nodding in Stefan's direction.

"Take her with you. I don't believe I'm quite finished with her yet."

Alice couldn't believe what she was hearing. Had her ears deceived her? No, apparently not, because at that moment in time she felt Stefan hoist her up over his shoulder and begin to run in the direction of, what Alice could only presume was, home. She felt every wisp of air leave her body and the aching finally set in. The loss of blood from Alice's head wound caused her eyes to roll to the back of her head as she finally passed out from the night's events.


	3. Chapter 3

Damon, Elena and, surprisingly, Caroline were all sitting around a table playing poker, laughing and drinking beer, when Stefan opened the front door and entered with an unconscious, bleeding girl slung over his shoulder. Caroline rolled her eyes and Damon tried not to let the recognition touch his face.

"Wow, Stefan. _Major _buzz-kill." Caroline said, trying her damned hardest to keep her blood lust at bay. She tore her eyes from the crimson liquid that was constantly threatening to overwhelm her.

Damon recognised the girl from the minute Stefan entered. He couldn't really forget the Kleptomaniac from the Grill, with her mop of wild white blond hair and silver eyes. He cared not for remembering her drug-induced tremors and shakes. Staring at her now she looked worse than she had before.

"Do _not _stain the carpet." He didn't understand why he said it but he could physically _feel _himself building up the walls around him again. Stefan chuckled then, humourlessly as he always did when he was frustrated with his brother.

"I found Klaus and Rebekah playing with her in the woods. He told me to bring her back here so he could finish her off at a later date."

As if on cue everyone's mouths fell a-jar, including Damon's. It was no secret that Stefan had been compelled to do Klaus's bidding but had he compelled him to listen? No, that was Stefan's own doing. Stefan knew, himself, that he could fight it but it was an extremely uncomfortable sensation; as if a weight of lead had been hung from his abdomen. He found it easier to listen than to disobey.

"There's no fucking way I'm babysitting a drug-addict here like it's a fucking stockyard, Stefan." Damon snapped as he pushed his chair out and stood up to his full height. Elena and Caroline remained silent, not inclined to get involved in another Salvatore brawl. The girls knew it was a mess to clean up after. Stefan took Damon's comment in his stride and gently laid the girl on the black leather sofa opposite the poker table.

"I was told to bring her back here. The rest is not my problem." Stefan backed away a few steps, holding up his hands as he did so, to show that he had cut ties with the injured girl he had brought home. Damon rolled his eyes and cursed loudly. They had switched rolls in the past few months. Damon found himself constantly picking up after his brother and was getting seriously pissed off with his antics. Bound to Klaus or not, Damon would severely hurt Stefan if he didn't clean up his act.

Alice's eyes chose to flutter open at that moment in time and her hand went straight to her head. All heads snapped in her direction and she nearly screamed until her eyes met Stefan's. She tried to calm her breathing, her hand pressed against her wildly beating heart. As Alice's eyes strayed to the others in the room a vague recognition ignited a faint spark in her mind.

"You-" She formed the word on her lips until she saw his expression. The narrowing of his eyes and the frown that tugged his mouth downward. Alice bit her tongue and pretended not to know the man- what was his name again?- that she had encountered at the bar.

Damon turned back to his brother and glared intensely with an immense amount of annoyance bubbling under the surface of his calm demeanour.

"She's not staying here. No fucking way."

It didn't take very long for Alice to gather who he was talking about. She pushed herself up by her elbows and stared at the man-Damon, she recalled- with a glare of her own plaguing her eyes.

"Cheers!" Alice snapped sarcastically, ignoring the _immense _throbbing she felt at the crown of her head. She noticed, as she pulled her hand away, that she was still bleeding.

"Fucking dandy." She muttered to herself but realized that some of these people before her were most likely vampires as well. Alice didn't think it wise to be bleeding so profusely considering her company but it was hardly something that she could help.

"Look," Stefan began, crossing his arms against his chest; an act of defiance that made Damon snort sarcastically and roll his dark eyes. "You're right. She shouldn't stay here. For one thing, Klaus can come and go anytime he pleases. He's been invited in. He can finish her off anytime he wants."

Alice felt quite offended that these people were talking about _her _as if she wasn't even here. She waved her hands around as if she were invisible.

"Hello! Sitting right here, people."

They chose to ignore her and Alice began to grumble softy to herself.

Damon and Stefan hadn't broken eye contact and the girls so badly wanted to intervene. Caroline felt herself eyeing the girl, suspiciously.

_What does Klaus find so special about her? _Caroline wondered, curiously. She didn't think it was her winning personality and sunny disposition, that was for sure.

The two brothers were silent for a few moments, trying to probe each other's minds but finally Damon smirked and Alice watched as his eyebrows disappeared into his hairline.

"You want to turf her onto someone else, don't you?"

Stefan nodded and finally acknowledged Alice by inclining his head in her direction. She simply glared back. She was grateful he had saved her, that was for certain, but she certainly wasn't won over by his attitude towards her. Stefan had saved her and already he wanted to dump her on someone else's doorstep. Alice felt like she was circulating foster homes again and didn't like the similarity at all.

Alice pushed herself up off the couch, wobbled an awful lot, but managed to steady herself as eyes began to dart in her direction.

"I think I best be off, don't you?" She asked, rhetorically of course, and made a beeline for the front door. Alice barely made it two feet away before Stefan had his arms around her middle again and escorted her back to the couch.

"This is imprisonment." She grumbled as she crossed her arms against her chest. She heard Damon snort and as Alice threw a death glare his way his expression darkened immensely.

"Would you rather be dead?"

Alice bit her tongue and fought back an urge to verbally abuse the prick. Stefan turned to Elena and, although they hadn't been romantically involved in months, their was a longing look exchanged between the two.

"Would it be possible for Alice to stay at your place?"

Alice stared at the girl with the luxurious chocolate brown hair and Elena glanced her way, an obvious apprehensiveness floating in the air between them.

"I don't think it's a good idea, Stefan. Jeremy might have a… _relapse_." Elena spoke quietly but Alice could make out the last word she muttered into her sleeve. An anger so potent began boiling in the pit of Alice's stomach.

"Oh, what's his demon?" Alice spat, feverishly. "_Morphine? _Heroin? Crystal-fucking-meth?" Alice could feel the dizziness envelope her as she tried to calm herself. She fell back onto her rear and lay her head between her legs.

"Americans." She found herself whispering, exasperatedly. Alice hated ignorant people more than anything in the entire world and she could _feel _the ignorance oozing out of Elena's pores from a mile away.

"Weed, actually." Elena shot back, her tone rising as she did so. Her remark just sent Alice into a spiral of manic laughter.

"_Weed? _Weed!" She gasped in between breaths. That just made Elena even more laughable. Alice had been smoking it in a pipe almost everyday for the past year and a half.

"They give weed out for medicinal purposes now, don't they?" Alice asked, with wild eyes, to the people around her, her face turning a light shade of pink as the blood rose in her skin.

"If men with one bollock can smoke weed then I don't really see the harm!"

Alice began to calm her splitting sides. Caroline had begun to laugh too but quickly stifled it and masked it as a cough as Elena sent her an appalled look.

Alice knew that she and Elena probably wouldn't be the best of pals but she was okay with that. Alice could rarely stand any woman for too long anyway.

Damon shrugged his shoulders as his brother stared at him. There was always the _other _option:

"We could always compel someone-"

Caroline stood up and placed herself in between Stefan and Damon. She was anxious, Alice could see that almost instantly but she stared at the beautiful blonde with questioning eyes.

"She can stay with me and my mom."

Alice's mouth fell a-jar while Damon and Stefan both nodded, appreciatively.

"Thanks, Blondie. You're a life-saver-" Damon turned to Alice then and smirked without humour. "-no offence."

"None taken." Alice replied, muttering the word _prick _under her breath as he turned away. She knew perfectly well he could hear her and smiled when he didn't muster the strength or will to reply.

* * *

><p>Caroline Forbes, Alice learned, was a new-born vampire and everything Alice disliked in a girl. She was loud, obnoxious, talkative and shallow. Alice figured she'd get use to her over the coming days or weeks but was already very close to pulling her hair out as Caroline drove to her house.<p>

Alice felt grateful though that Caroline had opened up her home and offered her a place to say and then Caroline said something that made Alice admirer her instead of mentally tying the knot in the noose she wished so badly was around her neck.

"Elena was totally out of line. She doesn't mean the things she says-"

Alice snorted, rolling her eyes as she did so.

"No offence, Caroline but you're her best friend. You're suppose to defend her but she sounded like she meant every word."

Caroline sighed then, obviously torn between what was right and her best friend.

"She doesn't know how it is. The addiction. It consumes me, you know?"

Alice nodded. The similarities between them were growing ever stronger as the talk continued and Alice began to take back what she had thought about Caroline previously. For Caroline, it was blood. The two girls knew what hunger could do and the power it held over them. They were more alike then they knew.

"And if you go long enough without you don't know what you might do or what you might be capable of." Alice whispered, finishing Caroline's sentence for her.

"Exactly." Caroline murmured back, swerving left up onto a curb and putting the car in park. Alice opened the car door and grabbed the bag Stefan had recovered for her from her night in the woods. The bag didn't hold much; a few outfits of clothing, a toothbrush and an out-dated phone that she had stolen for emergencies. She hadn't used it in an awfully long time and wondered if it still worked. Alice highly doubted it.

Caroline was in the middle of fingering her pocket for her keys when Liz, her mother, opened the front door with a smile. It faltered when she noticed Alice and her mop of white blonde hair that was covered in dried blood. It had begun to form a crust.

Of course, the wound had been healed thanks to Caroline who had offered Alice a small glass of her own blood before the two left the Boarding House.

"Mom!" The panic was evident in Caroline's voice and Alice closed her eyes and gave her head a small shake.

_Act cool, Caroline!_ She mentally screamed at the blonde but of course, Alice had to remind herself that she was not telepathic.

"I thought you were away in Ohio for the next week?" Caroline questioned her mother as she and Alice sidestepped around the frumpy middle aged woman who bore a sceptical expression as she surveyed the two girls.

"I came back early." Liz replied, walking into the kitchen and flicking the kettle on. She leaned against the counter and raised her brow at Alice.

"Oh, this is Alice, mom. A friend of mine. She's just crashing here while her parents… are away."

Alice praised Caroline for such quick thinking and thought this would be the perfect time to introduce herself. She plastered her best smile on her face and out-stretched her hand.

"I'm Alice."

Liz shook it briefly and replied, bluntly:

"I gathered that."

Caroline rolled her eyes and scoffed, took Alice's hand in hers and marched up the stairs, dragging her along with her. They entered Caroline's room and Alice was surprised. She didn't know why but she had expected something of a _Hello Kitty _explosion. She noted the modern art upon her wall, graffiti and other things that she would have expected her room to look like, if she had had one growing up.

"Beautiful room." Alice chirped, placing her bag neatly in the corner beside Caroline's desk. She thanked her, enthusiastically.

"I hope you don't mind a sleeping bag on the floor…" Caroline trailed off, uncertainly but Alice smiled in her direction.

"Don't worry, Caroline. That'll be the most comfortable and secure place I've slept in in years."


End file.
